How a WWII Leg Splint Inspired the Eames Molded Plywood Lounge Chair
Charles and Ray Eames’ classic LCW might’ve never existed if not for the wood-molding techniques they honed making wartime products for the U.S. Army.
Charles and Ray Eameses’ LCW, the molded plywood lounge chair once dubbed "the best design of the 20th century" by Time magazine, began with an experiment in the couple’s apartment. In the early 1940s, when Charles was working in the art department at MGM studios, the young couple would gather in the evenings to experiment with wood-molding techniques using what they called the "Kazam! Machine." The device, named after the final phrase from a magician’s act—"Ala Kazam!"—could press together thin sheets of wood veneer with the help of copious amounts of glue and a bicycle pump, which was used to inflate a rubber balloon that would push the wood against the machine’s curvature. The designers would then finish shaping the plywood using a handsaw and sandpaper to smooth the edges.
The Eames LCW molded plywood lounge chair was first manufactured in 1946 by the Molded Plywood Division of Evans Products Company. Herman Miller took over production by 1949.
Photo by Phil Schaafsma
The Eameses’ Kazam! Machine experiments led to a 1942 commission from the U.S. Navy to develop molded plywood leg splints for injured World War II soldiers that would mimic the curves of a human leg better than the existing metal versions. In order to meet the military’s large order, the Eameses dissolved their fledgling Plyformed Wood Company to form the Molded Plywood Division of the Evans Products Company, a major plywood and wood products producer.
An annotated page from a 1952 dealer packet for the Eames Molded Plywood Chair.
Courtesy Herman Miller
It’s estimated that around 150,000 Eames splints were produced during the war. Between 1942 and 1945, the Eameses also pioneered a number of other wartime prototypes using molded plywood, including arm splints, stretchers, and aircraft parts—all produced and distributed by the Evans Products Company. (In 1942 and 1943 they also developed a number of plywood sculptures to further explore production possibilities with different designs using the material.)
Charles and Ray Eames at a 1977 Washington University exhibition of a selection of their bent plywood pieces, including the leg splints they produced as part of the war effort in 1942.
Courtesy Charles Eames Archive, University Archives, Department of Special Collections, Washington University Libraries
When WWII drew to a close, the Eameses turned their attention back to furniture, setting out to work on a molded plywood collection. They produced a line of children’s furnishings and toy-like objects, and soon after came their molded plywood tables and chairs, among them, of course, the LCW. Simple and comfortable, the LCW marked a departure from the heavy, clunky furniture Americans were used to. But it wasn’t just formally innovative; with the low-slung seat and ergonomic design, the LCW commanded a place in design history. As Ray Eames once explained, "What works good is better than what looks good, because what works good lasts." A testament to their skill, the LCW still looks good and works good, too.
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Eames
Pioneers of the 1950s and of the optimistic American way of life, Charles and Ray Eames created the greatest modern furniture "classics" between 1941 and 1978. They designed more than 20 chair models, mostly unique pieces, and developed know-how in the art of sitting. The Plywood Chairs LCW and DCW (1946), the Aluminum Group (1958) and the Lounge Chair (1956) have become true symbols of design that remain references today. Still produced, they inspire the admiration of new generations to convey the generous social ideal of their designers. Photo courtesy of Need Supply Co. Publisher: Assouline Publishing
ShopHerman Miller Eames Molded Plywood Lounge Chair Wood Base (LCW)
Hailed by Time as the Best Design of the 20th Century, the LCW — or Lounge Chair with wood legs (1946) — began as an experiment in Charles and Ray Eameses’ apartment, where they were molding plywood in what they called the “Kazam! Machine.” The machine pressed thin sheets of wood veneer against a heated membrane that was inflated by a bicycle pump. From these humble beginnings came what would become one of the world’s most widely recognized and highly coveted chairs.
ShopThe World of Charles and Ray Eames
This is the first comprehensive book on the Eames' legacy in over a decade, revealing the rich totality of the their work in all media. Produced in close collaboration with Eames estate, this novel publication presents the husband-and-wife team from both personal and professional perspectives, as well as the lively interplay of their public and private lives. Charles and Ray Eames are among the most important twentieth century designers, and the story of the Eames Office is that of the history of visual and material culture in the post-war, modern period. This groundbreaking monograph charts the history of their inspiring and prolific world and brings together key works and ideas explored at the Eames Office throughout its extraordinary history. Published in connection to a major exhibition developed in partnership with the Eames Estate opening at London's Barbican Art Gallery in October 2015 and expected to tour the world, the book features a broad range of visual material, enriched by recent archival research and new discoveries. It explores the era-defining work of the Eames Office, a 'laboratory' active for over four decades that produced a vast array of pioneering and influential projects - from architecture, furniture and product design to film, photography, multi-media installation and exhibitions, as well as new models for arts education. Alongside newly commissioned texts by leading design experts, The World of Charles and Ray Eames will include contemporaneous reviews and magazine articles, writings by Charles and Ray Eames themselves, personal correspondence and a comprehensive reference section. This ambitious publication will become the standard work on the Eames, destined to influence future generations of designers of all descriptions.
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This article was originally published on April 16, 2015. It was updated on April 24, 2024, to include current information.
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With More Than 40,000 Objects, the New Eames Institute Will Show Much More Than Just Chairs
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